It is an honor and a privilege to serve as ACEP’s next Executive Director. Throughout the search process, I was deeply inspired by the passion of ACEP members and the vital role you play at the intersection of our nation’s health care and public health systems. As I shared with the ACEP Council when we met in Salt Lake City, the emergency department is, quite literally, where health care access becomes real; where the system must work, and where you make a profound difference every single day. This is why I’m drawn to emergency medicine: You are on the front lines, seeing the impact of policy problems clearly and working tirelessly to solve them despite immense challenges. My career has been shaped by a commitment to supporting the conditions that assure optimal health for all, and to improving the systems that support health care professionals in their vital work.

I’ve spent more than two decades leading medical societies and public health associations through periods of significant transformation: Most recently, as CEO of the College of American Pathologists and before that, as CEO of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Earlier in my career, I served as Executive Vice President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED), where I gained invaluable experience working at the intersection of national and state medical society leadership. That role taught me how essential strong state chapter partnerships are to advancing a specialty’s interests. State chapters are where advocacy becomes local, where member relationships are built, and where the national organization’s mission comes to life in communities across the country.

Many experiences have taught me critical lessons about leadership during crisis, the importance of workforce well-being, and the need to support professionals who carry enormous burdens in service to their communities. I saw public health workers experience the same burnout, moral injury, and career frustration that so many of you face in emergency medicine today. I’ve made it a priority in my work to address workforce wellness, not as an afterthought, but as central to our mission. You cannot care for others if we don’t care for you. I have also seen the power of effective staff and member partnerships in my previous roles. I am committed to supporting and helping our team grow as they contribute to ACEP’s mission.

My priorities for the first year are engaging in conversations with our ACEP Board and with you. First and foremost, I will be listening and learning. I need to understand your experiences, your challenges, and your hopes for ACEP and the specialty. I’ll be assessing our organizational capacity to ensure we have the people, policies, systems, and resources to serve you effectively. I want to create a clear member value proposition that speaks to why ACEP matters and what makes membership meaningful across different career stages and practice settings. We have so much to work with; that excites me.

Advocacy for the specialty and advancing the interests of emergency medicine are paramount. I’m committed to working with you and our team to address our key advocacy priorities: protecting physician autonomy, combating insurer tactics like downcoding and narrow networks, ensuring fair reimbursement, addressing violence in emergency departments, and tackling the boarding crisis. I look forward to new and innovative ways to amplify your voice in Washington, D.C., in state capitals with our chapter leaders, and in every venue where decisions are made that affect your practice and your patients. ACEP has a powerful voice, exceptional thought leadership, and a grassroots network that spans the entire country. Together, we can ensure that emergency physicians have the autonomy, support, and resources needed to provide the highest quality care.

A member of the Board shared with me that his measure of my first-year success will be whether the Board strongly agrees with the question: “Did we make the right decision hiring Mike, and does he fully understand our organization and the specialty?” That’s the bar I’ve set for myself. I’m not here to have all the answers on day one. I’m here to learn from you, to work alongside you, and to build on ACEP’s strong foundation to position our organization and the specialty for the future.

I look forward to meeting you in the months ahead. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to share your thoughts, concerns, or ideas. This is your organization, and my job is to serve you and advance the specialty we all deeply care about.

With gratitude and commitment,

Michael Fraser, PhD, MS, CAE